For his summer residence, Peter I chose a well-established and advantageously located estate on the cape between the Neva and the Nameless Channel (now the Fontanka River), where the property of Swedish Major E. B. von Konow (Konau) was located – a small house with a farmyard and a garden.
In August 1710, by Peter’s order, construction of a stone building began on the site of the former house, following the design of architect Domenico Trezzini. In 1713–1714, work was carried out on the interior and exterior decoration of the building, in which architect and sculptor Andreas Schlüter may have participated. Schlüter is credited with creating the bas-relief allegories on the palace facades, glorifying the victories of the Russian fleet. The complete decoration of the Summer Palace was finished by 1713. The two-story brick building with a four-sloped iron roof was crowned with a copper weather vane in the form of Saint George the Victorious, spearing a dragon. The weather vane indicated not only wind direction but also its strength: it was mechanically linked to a device that displayed these parameters on a panel inside the building. This meteorological instrument was ordered by Peter from a court mechanic in Dresden.
The entrance to the building is framed by a portal made of black marble, above which is a bas-relief depicting Minerva with military trophies. The main decoration of the palace facades consists of 28 bas-reliefs, executed in the rare technique of hand application, placed in frames between the windows of the first and second floors. The theme of the images is the glorification of Russia’s military power.
Like any residence reflecting the tastes of Peter I, the palace is modest in size: 26.5 by 15.5 meters; the height of the two floors is 8.1 meters; the height to the roof ridge is 13.3 meters; the height of the rooms is 3.3 meters. The layout of both floors is identical. The first floor housed Peter I’s chambers, the second – those of his wife, Catherine Alexeyevna.
The palace was intended only for summer residence, so it has thin walls and single-pane windows. The palace contains 14 rooms, two kitchens, and two internal corridors. The rooms are arranged enfilade, while the service rooms connect to the internal corridor, sparing the servants from having to appear in the formal rooms.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Summer Palace was surrounded by water on three sides: from the north, the Neva approached the facade; from the east, the Fontanka; and to the south, in front of the entrance, there was a harbor.
Boats and small vessels approached the palace from the Neva and moored at the facades, like at the sides of a ship. Mooring rings remain on the southern and eastern facades. In the second half of the 18th century, during the construction of the stone embankment of the Neva, the shore was filled in, and the palace was set back from the embankment.
Throughout its existence, the palace has not undergone significant changes. The external appearance of the compact, rectangular-plan building with modest facades is typical of St. Petersburg constructions of Peter’s era. The window casings have a simple design, and the building’s corners are treated with rustication. The only indication of the high status of the royal palace is the molded bas-reliefs between the windows of the first and second floors. In several interior rooms, the original decoration with carved wooden panels and tiles, painted plafonds, stucco, and tiled stoves has been preserved.
In the 18th century, on the other side of the artificial harbor, along the Fontanka embankment, were the “People’s Chambers,” built simultaneously with the Summer Palace. Despite the name, the “chambers” contained a number of formal halls. It was here that the famous Amber Room, gifted to Peter I by the Prussian king, was originally installed. The Summer Palace and the “chambers” were connected by a passage, to which a stone gallery was attached, housing a small collection of paintings – the first art gallery in St. Petersburg. These buildings have not survived.
The decoration of the Green Cabinet on the upper floor is well preserved. This is one of the first examples of interior decoration in the spirit of the new French fashion brought to Russia by architect J.-B. Le Blond, which involved decorating walls with panels featuring decorative paintings, mirrors, and doors with lunettes. In this cabinet, in the wall cabinets whose doors are still glazed with small panes of “moon” glass from the early 18th century, items from the first Peter’s Kunstkamera were kept.
After the deaths of Peter I and Catherine I, no one lived in the Summer Palace for a long time. For a while, sessions of the Supreme Privy Council were held there. In the early 19th century, the building was used as a summer residence for court officials and dignitaries. The museum history of the palace began in 1903, when, for the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, an exhibition dedicated to Peter I was held within its walls.
The Summer Palace has survived to this day without significant alterations. After 1917, the palace was preserved as a historical and architectural monument. In 1934, a historical and artistic memorial museum was opened there. In the early 1960s, under the direction of architect A. E. Hessen, a comprehensive restoration of the palace – a federal monument – was carried out, recreating the interiors of the 18th century.
Since 2004, the palace has been a branch of the State Russian Museum. In 2015–2017, a new restoration was carried out in the palace, during which the atmosphere of the royal residence of the first quarter of the 18th century was restored. A renewed gilded weather vane was installed on the roof.
Sources:
https://petersmonuments.ru/russia/memorials/letniy-dvorets-petra-i-s-peterburg/
https://www.culture.ru/institutes/13828/letnii-dvorec-petra-i
